Early Review: The Expanse: A Telltale Series

By Winfield

Players: 1
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, XBox, PC (via Epic Games Store)

The first episode of The Expanse: A Telltale Series was released on July 27th, 2023, co-developed by TellTale Games and Deck Nine, and published by TellTale Games. For the purposes of this review it was played on a PS5, but it's also available for PC, PS4, and Xbox Series X/S. I’ll start this review with a disclaimer that I played only the first episode so far, and I experienced it as someone who has not watched the TV show or read the series that the game is based on. This is all from the perspective of someone who is new to the source material.

I won’t spoil anything about the game storywise, as I believe these types of games are best suited to experience the story firsthand. All I will say is that the game is a prequel to the TV show and the player controls Camina Drummer on the spaceship Artemis, along with her ragtag crew, while trying to make a living in the solar system. The first episode does a good job with introducing the main cast of characters and gives players reason to care about them.

The graphics have definitely improved since the last time that I saw a Telltale game. Considering that was The Walking Dead series though, it has been a while. The gameplay is what you would expect from the their other games, and largely focuses on exploring the surroundings and interacting with or talking to various characters along the way. There are dialogue options that you can choose that may play a role later in the episode or perhaps even in later episodes. This is a key element in past Telltale games and it felt nostalgic; calling back to the infamous choices made while playing The Walking Dead series. 

Since The Expanse is set in space the level designs are quite creative and even incorporate zero gravity environments. In these areas you get to explore in all directions, and you also gain the ability to walk on the ceiling or walls to get past obstacles. It can take a bit of time to get used to the controls while moving in the zero-gravity areas and, to be honest, I did get a bit disoriented near the beginning, but after the short learning curve it can be pretty fun. Owing to the adventure game mechanics, the level designs are all still pretty linear. While the game is largely focused on the story, it still manages to not come off as a game that only features corridor-type level designs. Also, there are quick-time events that may have the player press certain buttons within a certain time limit, another classic aspect you'd expect to find in a Telltale title.

Being the first episode of the game it serves as a good introduction to the story and characters. It makes me curious to want to find out what happens to Camina Drummer and the rest of the crew. As for whether it is necessary to read the books or watch the TV show that the game is based on, since it is considered a prequel, I feel this episode is fine for newcomers to head into blind. With that said, don’t let the intimidation factor of it being part of a larger series be your reason for not checking  out The Expanse, this is a great entry point. Of course I assume there may be Easter eggs referenced from the TV show or books if you know the source material, but I can't speak on that now. I’ll leave the final rating until all of the episodes are released to say for certain whether the complete story is an enjoyable adventure, but it looks promising so far.

For More Information on The Expanse: A Telltale Series:
https://telltale.com/the-expanse/

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Pros
+ Voice acting and graphics are both well-done.
+ If you're a fan Telltales games, or even a fan of The Expanse series, this is a must play.
+ Lots of exploration, more than was expected.

Cons
- Controls relating to zero-gravity areas have a bit of a learning curve.
- Having to wait for the other episodes is a bummer, especially with the cliffhanger that the game leaves you on

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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